73-year-old woman says Fitbit detected life-threatening heart issue

Patricia Lauder said a Fitbit, similar to the one pictured above, saved her life. (iStock)

A 73-year-old woman who bought a Fitbit to help her lose weight said the device actually saved her life. Patricia Lauder, of Connecticut, was feeling ill recently ,but a test for pneumonia came back negative, CBS Miami reported. That was when she noticed her resting heart rate climbing to 140 beats per minute.

“When it finally got to the point where walking across the room was a major issue, I picked up the phone and knew I needed help,” Lauder told the news outlet.

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Doctors at UCONN Health in Farmington told Lauder she was suffering from two pulmonary embolisms and an enlarged heart, CBS Miami reported. Dr. Juyong Lee said the blood clots were causing Lauder’s blood pressure and oxygen levels to drop.

Lee put Lauder on treatment to break up the clots, and her heart health and lung functioning returned to normal, CBS Miami reported. Lauder said without her Fitbit, she wouldn’t have known she was in grave danger.

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“It certainly helped me under the most recent circumstances,” she told CBS Miami.